T’puram: Southern Railway has invited a tender estimated around Rs 98 crore for the final location survey (FLS), detailed field surveys and design-related works for the proposed third railway line between Thiruvananthapuram Central and Nagercoil Junction.The 71km project will involve a comprehensive range of preparatory works, including soil investigations, LiDAR and drone surveys, traffic studies, land acquisition proposals, bridge and tunnel designs, and preparation of engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) documents.The move comes as work on the doubling of the Thiruvananthapuram–Kanyakumari railway line is progressing. Around Rs 1,000 crore has already been earmarked for the proposed third-line project, with the latest tender marking a significant step towards taking the project forward.The Thiruvananthapuram–Nagercoil section is a crucial rail link connecting Kerala and Tamil Nadu and is heavily used by thousands of passengers, workers and students every day. The existing route handles substantial passenger and long-distance train traffic, making additional capacity important for improving operations.“Once the ongoing doubling works and the proposed third line are completed, the additional capacity is expected to ease congestion and create scope for operating more passenger and express services on the route. The third line is also important for the logistics related to the Vizhinjam International Seaport once the rail connectivity is operational on this route,” said a railway engineering official.The tender documents also incorporate certain technical provisions in select sections, taking into account the possibility of future multi-line expansion and additional tunnel projects.The FLS and associated design and field investigations are expected to provide the technical basis for subsequent construction-related activities, including finalising the alignment, structures and land requirements for the third line.The proposed third line is therefore expected to strengthen rail connectivity between Thiruvananthapuram and Nagercoil and provide additional capacity on one of the key railway corridors linking the two southern states.
